Supply Chain Inventory Manager

Position Overview The SC Operations Manager is the inventory authority of Basic Research’s supply chain. This role owns the complete picture of what the company has, where it is, whether it is accurately recorded, and whether it will be there when the business needs it. At its core, this is a hands-on inventory management role. The person in this seat is precise, systematic, and intolerant of unexplained variances. They operate Business Central as the inventory system of record, manage the 3PL and 3 PM relationship for inventory performance, process receipts with rigor, and build the cycle count discipline that keeps physical counts aligned with system counts. Business Central is the platform this role works within. Strong ERP proficiency is required. The role demands deep fluency in how inventory moves through the system and the discipline to keep that system honest. The near-miss defined the standard: inventory trajectory must be visible in real time, and risks must surface early enough to act on. This role is the permanent fix for that failure mode. What You’ll Own Inventory accuracy — the core mandate The standard Basic Research’s inventory position must be accurate, current, and visible at all times. Not weekly. Not after a manual pull. Always. The SC Operations Manager owns that standard in the system, at the 3PL, and in the daily decisions the Supply Chain team makes from inventory data. Own inventory accuracy end-to-end: on-hand inventory and supply items at 3PL, in- transit inventory on open POs and AOs, component inventory for assembly orders, and all adjustments in between. Establish and maintain cycle count discipline at the 3PL and 3PMs: count schedule, methodology, discrepancy threshold, and corrective action protocol. Cycle counts are not optional and not late. Own the daily ERP/WMS reconciliation between Business Central and the Streem WMS; every variance is investigated and resolved, not carried forward. Ensure FIFO/FEFO compliance, lot tracking accuracy, and shelf-life management across all inventory. Provide actionable inventory health analysis monthly: turns by SKU, days of supply, slow-mover exposure, obsolescence risk, and Hero/Growth/Support/Exit classification health. Collaborate with Finance on period-end inventory valuation — providing clean, auditable data with zero restatements. Inventory visibility Own the real-time inventory position in Business Central: live on-hand by SKU must be accurate and current without requiring a manual data pull. Monitor inventory trajectory against demand coverage — identifying SKUs approaching a stockout horizon with enough lead time for the Director of SC Planning and Sr. Buyer to act. Maintain and improve the integration between Business Central and the Streem WMS so inventory data flows accurately in both directions without daily manual correction. Work with the Director of SC Planning to ensure The Engine is consuming live BC inventory data rather than working around it — reducing the manual refresh dependency over time. Surface inventory risks proactively: when a SKU is trending toward a coverage threshold, flag it before it becomes a crisis. Receipt processing — POs and assembly orders Own the receipt of all inbound inventory in Business Central: purchase order receipts from suppliers, assembly order completions from the 3PL, and transfer receipts between locations. Verify every receipt against its source document before posting: quantity received vs. ordered, item number, unit of measure, lot number, and expiration date. No receipt posts without verification. Maintain separation of duties: the Sr. Buyer places and manages POs; the SC Operations Manager independently confirms and posts receipt. The person who orders does not confirm delivery. Investigate and resolve all receipt discrepancies before month-end close: short shipments, over-shipments, lot mismatches, and item substitutions are documented and corrected with supplier or 3PL accountability. Process assembly order receipts in BC upon Order Management’s confirmation of 3PL packout completion — ensuring finished goods inventory is accurately reflected, and component inventory is correctly consumed. Maintain a receipt aging discipline: no open receipt sits unposted beyond 48 hours of physical arrival. Unposted receipts distort the daily roll and undermine planning accuracy. Provide monthly receipt accuracy reporting to Finance: on-time posting rate, discrepancy rate, and supplier-side issues requiring claims or credit resolution. Assembly order (AO) management — system ownership Own the setup and maintenance of assembly orders in Business Central: BOM accuracy, component allocation, AO structure, and finished goods receipt logic. Maintain the AO framework in BC that the Order Management role uses to schedule assembly work with the 3PL. The system must be configured and accurate before Order Management can execute against it. Monitor assembly AO status in BC for planning accuracy: open AOs, expected completion dates, and finished goods availability feeding into the supply plan. Resolve BC-side AO discrepancies: if a packout completes at the 3PL or 3 PM but the inventory position in BC does not reflect it correctly, this role owns the fix. Maintain the forward assembly order planning horizon — working with the Director of SC Planning to ensure packout demand is visible and component inventory is allocated. 3PL performance management Own the inventory performance relationship with the 3PL: SLA tracking, cycle count results, receiving accuracy, discrepancy resolution, and continuous improvement. Provide monthly 3PL inventory performance reporting: accuracy rate, cycle count completion, receiving discrepancy rate, and dock-to-stock time. Escalate 3PL performance failures with documented evidence and drive corrective action — holding Streem accountable to agreed standards. Business Central ownership Operate Business Central as the authoritative inventory system of record for the Supply Chain function. Maintain data integrity: item card accuracy, unit of measure consistency, location and bin structure, and costing accuracy. Identify and implement improvements to how BC is used for inventory management — reducing manual workarounds, improving data flow with Extensiv, and building toward automated replenishment triggers over time Document all inventory-related BC workflows owned by this role so that processes are transferable, trainable, and not dependent on any single person’s institutional knowledge. Partner with IT and the Director of SC Planning on BC enhancements that improve inventory visibility and reduce planning model dependency on manual data. What Success Looks Like in Year One The daily inventory roll nets accurately in Business Central — the variance issue is permanently resolved through root-cause correction, not ongoing management. Inventory trajectory is monitored in real time. Any SKU approaching a stockout threshold surfaces to the planning team with at least 7 days’ lead time. The near-miss scenario cannot recur. The cycle count program runs at ≥95% monthly completion, with documented corrective action for every discrepancy above the threshold. Receipt processing is current: no open receipt sits unposted beyond 48 hours, month-end close requires no manual inventory restatements, and Finance trusts the data. The assembly order framework in BC is accurate and well-documented, supporting Order Management’s 3PL scheduling and preventing inventory discrepancies post-closure. 3PL inventory accuracy rate is at or above 99%, and 3PL performance is actively managed with documented SLA reviews. Requirements: 4–7 years of experience in inventory management, supply chain operations, or distribution operations with direct ownership of inventory accuracy in a 3PL-managed environment. • Strong ERP proficiency required; Microsoft Dynamics Business Central experience preferred. Candidates with deep experience in comparable ERP platforms (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, Sage) who demonstrate the ability to learn BC quickly will be considered. • Solid understanding of inventory control principles: cycle counting, FIFO/FEFO, lot tracking, BOM-based assembly orders, and WMS-ERP integration. • Experience managing a 3PL relationship including receiving accountability, SLA management, and performance improvement. • Accountant’s mindset: precise, methodical, and intolerant of unexplained variances. Every discrepancy has a cause and a permanent fix. • Experience with receipt processing and inventory reconciliation in an ERP environment, understanding of separation of duties in a purchasing-to-receipt workflow. • Ability to communicate inventory position and risk clearly to non-technical stakeholders, including the VP and CFO. • Self-directed and disciplined: you build processes that don’t depend on you being there. Documentation and knowledge transfer are part of the job. • CPG, consumer products, or distribution industry experience preferred. • Bachelor’s degree in Supply Chain, Operations, Business, or related field preferred.